Sunday, September 20, 2009

No, not The Beatles version or the Joe Cocker version popularized by the television series "The Wonder Years." This is the Steve Cropper version. Cropper, for those who don't know, is one of America's greatest unsung heroes. He's mostly known for his work at the infamous Stax studios and his membership in the Stax house band, Booker T and the M.G.s. Cropper however did have a solo record on the Volt label, Stax's imprint, which came out in 1969. The title of the record and the first song on the A-side is a cover of The Beatles hit song "With A Little Help From My Friends," a masterfully written song composed by Lennon and McCartney together. Cropper's version is all instrumental in which his fuzzed out guitar replaces Ringo's vocals and mimics the vocal melody perfectly, a tragic sounding organ, played by Booker T, underlines Cropper's amazing guitar work, and a distinctive Stax sounding horn section just for a little soulful flavor . This version is by far my favorite out of all the vast renditions of The Beatles classic, mainly because Cropper instills something in this already amazing song that The Beatles could only dream of, pure soul and intense desperation. Surprisingly this song, or any other songs from this record, aren't readily available on youtube so I'm making it available. If anyone wants me to rip the rest of the record just let me know and I'll be happy to do so. I hope you enjoy this version as much as I do.